A student and his dog donned graduation robes today after the pet helped his owner complete his university degree.
Jack Proctor, 34, joined forces with cocker spaniel Fudge to complete a series of assignments as he studied for his BDes (Hons) in design and digital arts at Edinburgh Napier University.
The six-year-old dog starred in Jack’s introductory video and course work, and featured prominently in his dissertation.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xg0RqJgmACE%3Frel%3D0
To mark Fudge’s supporting role in his owner’s academic journey, the dog joined Mr Proctor outside the Usher Hall ahead of the graduation ceremony wearing bespoke robes made by Mr Proctor’s wife.
Mr Proctor, of Coatbridge, said: “I know it seems eccentric, but Fudge has been part of my journey through uni since day one, so it just feels like a nice way to mark the journey’s end.
“He was such a fundamental part of my dissertation that I even mentioned him in the acknowledgement section.”
He added: “It’s as much his degree as it is mine. He put in a lot of work and was really well behaved. He went above and beyond so it’s really nice to have him with me.”
He said his pet performs well for the camera, especially if there is a treat involved.
Fudge shot to fame during last year’s ice bucket challenge when he featured in a video in which Mr Proctor used technical trickery to show himself getting soaked by the dog.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=CNoodnvrH7Q%3Frel%3D0
The video garnered millions of views on Facebook and 250,000 on YouTube.
Their video collaborations go back to Mr Proctor’s very first day at university, when his class were asked to make introduction videos and he gave Fudge the lead role in his own.
The cocker spaniel also featured in a series of videos for Mr Proctor’s dissertation on how designers can optimise the share-ability of their work.
Comedy special effects were used in the videos to show Fudge regularly outsmarting hapless humans.
Mr Proctor now hopes to use his degree to find work in the fields of advertising or social media.